The D-1.1 is the flagship of Swedish loudspeaker brand Raidho’s “small, supremely endowed” standmount range and the latest version of what originally began life as the D1. Chris Thomas puts it to the test in the March issue of Hi-Fi Plus.

While the D-1.1 may be the latest iteration of what started out as the D1, the former is virtually a new speaker that shares only the main cabinet and the “magnificent’ well-established Raidho ribbon tweeter with the latter.

Raidho D-1.1 loudspeakers in black

The baffle and back plate are new as are the crossover and rear connections, notes Thomas, while the 115mm mid/bass driver has undergone major modifications with a new motor structure and surround, resulting in a 1.5dB rise in efficiency. “The performance of the new bass/midrange driver has become nothing short of epic,” he enthuses, putting it down to “the kind of attitude and dedication that very often results in fantastic audio products, because that is what we have here.”

Dedication indeed, since this was never going to be a cheap or easy-to-manufacture option. Combining “supreme lightness with ultimate stiffness,” the driver’s cone features a carat-and-a-half of industrial diamond bonded with graphite to the ceramic surface. Needless to say, considerable research and experimentation was involved in getting the process just right.

“From the very first listening sessions, it was apparent that the D-1.1 was going to prove a very special musical experience,” writes Thomas. The high frequencies “are extraordinarily sophisticated and endlessly textural with a sense of wholesome, open coherence.”

“Bandwidth is a constant surprise and all that attention you paid to the supports, cabling and the mains distribution pays off big time when you hear what these Raidhos are capable of.”

Thomas lines up an album featuring Celtic guitarist Tony McManus, on which “the tracks have an almost ethereal quality to them as the music ebbs and flows… The Raidhos drop this straight into the room with calm precision and no suggestion of the intrusive mechanics of the system to be found anywhere. Textural and tonal shadings are compelling and this is one of the real beauties of the speaker. Allowing the music expression and dynamic freedom while imposing so little of itself is one of the reasons that it is easy to sit in front of them for hours, getting lost in the musical intrigue, emotion and enjoyment of the whole experience.”

Raidho D-1.1 loudspeaker in walnut

“They are helped by their notable soundstage. Broad and incredibly stable, the stage seems to go on and on in all directions.”

“The low end is, like all great small speakers, surprising in its extension, movement and weight… even on music that is bass-centric, I think you would be surprised at where the D-1.1 can venture.”

“There is a whole world of nuance and harmonics beating away…the D-1.1 is so excellent at letting you into the music rather than just listening ‘at’ it.”

“Very beautiful both in appearance and musical performance… the D-1.1 is a loudspeaker to help you better understand your music and why it’s important to you.”

Read the full review in the March 2017 issue of Hi-Fi Plus or online at www.hifiplus.com